In Memory Of ...

Memorial Day has become a very enjoyable holiday for me. It has become a weekend for visiting graves and remembering our relatives who have gone before us. We tried to find David's great great grandfather, Edward Thompson, this year in the Centerville Cemetery. We were unable to to so. However, we were able to visit with Julie and Maddie. They were visiting with her parents who live just a few blocks from the cemetery.

My favorite place to visit on Memorial Day is the American Fork Cemetery where my parents are buried. Rikki and her boys, and Paul, Bree, and their girls joined us there. The cemetery was very beautiful with all of the flowers and flags. Abby, Jacob, Liv, Bree, and I walked around the grounds noticing the different flowers and ornaments that were placed on the different graves. There were many families gathered to honor and remember loved ones. The feeling was very peaceful.

It was very touching to me to watch Paul show his little girls the headstone of his Grandparents, and the little girls great grandparents. He outlined the letters of Paul Gauger and told them that his name was just like it and that he was named after this wonderful man. We will all remember these feelings for a long time. In fact, Abby, wants to know when we can do it again. I think that this is what Memorial Day is truly about . After all, families linked together is an eternal concept. I have been blessed with a very remarkable and very memorable family.

DELIGHT IN JOY

I have wonderful children, their spouses, and their families. I have especially appreciated them all the past couple of weeks. They have truly brought me joy and I have delighted in it.

Jessica graduated from Arizona State University in Biochemistry with a 4.00 GPA. She is amazing. She has done this while balancing being a mother and wife. I want her to know that I appreciate all that she has done and know that at times it was not easy. She is truly amazing and I am so very proud of her.



The joyful weekend started Thursday evening. We joined Kevin, in town on business, for dinner at Jessica's favorite restaurant. Sean was returning home from a week long business trip, so it was a happy reunion all around. One of the best parts was being able to sit outside and enjoy the warm Arizona weather. After graduation on Friday, Jessica and I left for a girls afternoon out of shopping. I know that she thought it as strange that I wouldn't let us leave a store that we usually do not shop at. I had to keep her there so that Audrey would be able to find us and surprise Jessica as a graduation gift.

We spent the next couple of days eating out, shopping, and having manicures and pedicures. What more could a Mother and her daughters want? It was truly a delightful time. This weekend was also Mothers Day. Not only was I able to spend time with two beautiful and accomplished daughters that I usually do not get to spend time with on Mother Day, but I heard from and talked to all of my children. They expressed wonderful sentiments, we laughed, and it was a truly joyful experience for me. My sons have married very well. Their wives are oustanding mothers and I love them as my own. I'm not usually a big fan of Mother's Day, however, this year was different. I took time to delight in the joy. Thank you children for being you. I love you all.

38 and Counting

Hooray for us!! We have just celebrated our 38th wedding anniversary. We took time out to drive to Palm Spring to spend a couple of days in the sunshine. Our winter and spring have been so cold and wet here. We had a very relaxing time and did soak up a few rays and enjoyed sitting outside on patios to eat our meals. Remember when we were traveling a few weeks ago and ran into people from our ward -- well-- in keeping with that we did it again. We randomly picked a ward out of the phone book to attend on Sunday. We were singing the opening hymn and noticed that two rows ahead of us was a couple from our ward that live in Palm Desert during the Winter. Funny thing is, I am her visiting teacher and can never find her. Needless to say, we had a fun reunion.

I received a most wonderful gift for my anniversary. David gave me a laptop. I love to digital scrapbook and especially scrap with others. However, it has been difficult to move computers around, etc. This new computer has solved that problem. While we were in California, we just had to stop by Audrey 's house to try out the new equipment. It worked perfectly. We have always spread out our supplies and papers and scrapped on her or my dining room tables. This photo really shows how far we have come. We had a wonderful anniversary. I love my new laptop. All in all, the past weekend was perfect.

Spring Time in the Rockies

The weather can be very volatile this time of the year. We woke to snow this morning. It makes me appreciate the warmer weather that we have been enjoying.

I hope that everyone had a wonderful Easter. David and I attended our meetings and enjoyed the spirit there. We then had Paul and Will and their families over for Easter Dinner. I need to thank Katie for the darling recipe for the Bread Bunny Veggie and Dip Holder. You can see it if you look to the lower part of the photo. I really thought that I was getting more of it when I took the picture.

We also had an Easter Egg hunt. The kids had so much fun, that we hid, found, and hid the eggs again and again. I had to chuckle. When it was my turn to hide the eggs, I heard Abby tell Zack that she knew where all the eggs were hidden because she could hear Grandma's flip flops in the living room.

So It may be snowing today. However, it will be warmer and warmer everyday from now on. And I will be wearing my flip flops everyday. Happy Spring and Easter Season to Everyone.

California Dreamin'

I am sitting in my office and looking out the window. It is snowing (AGAIN) which makes me reflect on this past week in southern California. The weather was perfect and so was the company. It all started with Will and Kelly going on vacation. They were going to Disneyland, California Adventure, and to the beach. They invited us to join them. We didn't think we could go because Jessica and Sean were coming to our house for Jess's Spring Break. Will immediately fixed that with a convincing phone call. Jessica and Sean changed their plans and headed for California. Monday was the day that we all went to Disneyland. I must include the fact that I mean ALL went to Disneyland. We ran into my Bishop and his family and another family in our ward. We wondered why they didn't answer the phone when we tried to get them to substitute our Sunday School Class.

They say that Disneyland is the happiest place on earth. However, I say that it is wherever my children and grandchildren gather together. This time it was at the beach, California Adventure, Disneyland, and at Audrey's house just hanging out. As I look out my window again it is still snowing and will snow again tomorrow. However, I have some wonderful sunny and happy memories to keep me warm.

Ned is Dead Again

Our "Ned is Dead" group met again this past weekend. This is a group of 6 couples that met in Everett, Washington in 1978. We lived in the same ward, served together and served each other, had children together and helped each other raise each others kids. We have kept in touch for all these years and get together every two years. We all take turns hosting and planning the event. Events in the past have included a weekend in Aspen, a trip to Lake Powell, and Estes Park in Colorado. John and Connie Woodward (seated) are leaving for a mission to Ghana next Monday. So this was a reunion and a farewell. We laughed, updated each other on our families, enjoyed very delicious food, and cried together. Most importantly, we bore testimony to each other of faith and tender mercies that are part of our lives everyday.

I have always wondered about the name of our group and even have thought it a bit morbid. However, I finally heard the origin of this title. Many (and I mean many) years ago in an old Mutual manual there was a list of ideas for Halloween activities and one was titled Ned is Dead. The group grabbed the name and started meeting on Halloween every year. As time passed, many of us moved and then we started meeting every two years.

I would have liked to have posted photos of us in the early days, but did not have any. It doesn't really matter because as we discussed what we would like to do in two years, it became very apparent that in our minds we are still the same young adventurous group we ever were. We threw out ideas such as build a house for a humanitarian project or float the river and sleep on shore in the Grand Canyon. The photos wouldn't really do any good. In two more years we will probably settle for a cruise to somewhere warm and sunny. But for now the "Ned is Dead" group is alive and kicking and feeling young again.

Groundhog Day

I usually am not interested in Groundhog Day. However, after yet another snow storm this morning and another one on the way in a couple of days, my interest was peaked. I found out that on February 2, Phil, the groundhog, comes out of his burrow on Gobbler's Knob - in front of thousands of followers from all over the world - to predict the weather for the rest of winter. According to legend, if Punxsutawney Phil sees his shadow, there will be six more weeks of winter weather. If he does not see his shadow, there will be an early spring. I am voting for an early spring. I am tired of having cold hands and feet day after day. A friend of mine gently suggested to me that I should probably wear boots. Okay, I won't complain any more at least not to her.

This past week has been one of mixed emotions. I loved President Hinckley. He was a wonderful prophet and leader. I am thankful for the testimony that I have of the doctrine of eternal life. I am also thankful for revelation that will rest upon the twelve and the whole church to know and sustain our new Prophet. It will be a bitter sweet funeral.

This month we celebrate Valentines Day and because of this, February is a month that we think of ones that we love. I love many people, especially my children and their families. I have great affection for my brothers and sisters and their families. And, of course, I have a deep abiding love for David and the life that we have made together over the past almost 38 years. Ground Hog Day, the movie, happens to be on our Top Ten list of favorite movies. It may seem like I am living the same day over and over this winter. But as the saying goes: I have my love to keep me warm. Hope everyone is well and will enjoy all the people that you love.

P.S. Just an added note. Brace yourself for more wintry weather. Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow Saturday, leading the groundhog to forecast six more weeks of winter.